Dentists are not my favorite people

I haven't finished processing all my photos from California, so I will sidetrack a bit.

I doubt I am alone in my lack of desire for visiting the dentist. A good visit is mildly unpleasant and it is all downhill from there. Today I had to go in for 2 full hours of work by the dentist. Needless to say, my entire mouth is numb and when the numb wears off, I fully expect the pain to ensue.

The bad part is that almost all of today's work was some form of rework on dental procedures already done. First, it turns out that fillings don't last forever. The ones I had as a kid are starting to have little gaps around them that are great for collecting crud and encouraging decay. I had two old fillings dug out and replaced with spiffy new ones. Then the gum where I had a wisdom tooth pulled had formed a lovely little pocket to collect yet more crud. This required a surgical procedure to remove sections of gum so the pocket is gone. Lots of little stitches. Finally, I actually had a new cavity that needed to be filled.

It isn't fun. It costs a lot. Worse, it isn't over. I have one more old filling to get replaced and three more wisdom teeth that really should have come out years ago. My hope is that by this fall, I have a happy, healthy mouth that can go back to normal cleanings.

I would find it a lot harder to get motivated for all this, but I keep reading that dental problems actually cause issues with the heart.